SoulQuest: Graduate Student Spiritual Care

What Others Perceive

You say one thing and somebody hears something completely different…has that ever happened to you? Probably. It’s a frustration. The more you talk, the more anxious you become and frustration leaks out in your body language, tone of voice, and attitude. Pretty soon you feel like a good relationship has gone bad. Tension, anger, miscommunication all converge in a hurtful experience. It’s not uncommon. But the question is really not what others hear as much as what they perceive. Communication break downs like that are not uncommon. The thing that redeems the moment is the nature of how you communicate. You can’t expect that other people will hear exactly what you want them to every time, but you can allow them to perceive a spirit of grace, openness, and interest in them as a person. When the spirit of Christ is present in us, even the most controversial points of communication can remain healthy and whole – not because of what others hear but because of what they perceive. There will always be times when communication breaks down. But walking daily with Christ allows His Spirit to become evident so that what others perceive in you is Christ-likeness – even if they don’t really hear you, they perceive Christ in you!